Perfect!!! Thanks. Karen! Promotional Products REALITY by Karen Barkevich The promotional products industry plays an important role in the national economy—collectively the industry provides nearly 500,000 jobs and $18.5 billion annually. Although promotional products play an important role in making the public and other audiences aware of important initiatives and are essential elements in successful marketing programs, all too often the industry comes under scrutiny when budgets are tight and cuts must be made. Time and again, promotional products have proven themselves to be the most cost-effective way to reach a very targeted audience in a tangible, long-lasting and memorable manner. Studies show that a company using a promotional product as its primary marketing piece gains an 85-percent increase in positive brand image by consumers. You don’t need to look any further than the 2010 Census for proof that promotional products work. The U.S. Census Bureau achieved its goal of 72% mail-back participation rate and saved $1.6 billion dollars on the 2010 census. A significant contribution to that savings was the use of targeted marketing in the Bureau’s Integrated Communications Plan. The campaign utilized promotional products in its paid advertising and media, partnership programs, census in schools, and events to achieve its objectives. The high response rate and budget surplus are strong indicators of the effectiveness of integrated marketing and the use of promotional products. The same products that significantly improved the mail-back participation rate for the U.S. Census make a difference in the lives of American citizens every day. Our industry is filled with professionals who passionately pursue and fulfill programs that bring a return on investment to charities and hospitals, to families and children in need and to their communities across the country. On a winter day in New York, imprinted blankets distributed to the homeless transform into a message of hope, caring and community. A key chain with a whistle handed out to students at a self-defense class becomes an empowering tool. A t-shirt given to children at a summer outdoor program is a memorable, functional keepsake. When the shirt is decorated with the phone number to call if the child is found lost, the imprinted shirt becomes a prudent safety precaution. An imprinted blanket, a functional key chain, a promotional t-shirt—they’re community. They’re life-saving. They’re undeniably impactful. State governments, businesses, organizations and the national government are making tough decisions about where to invest resources and the promotional products industry appreciates the difficult choices that must be made. Despite budget strain, the government and its agencies must market its programs. We maintain that when an organization needs to cut marketing dollars, the decision should be based on the effectiveness of the marketing mediums in consideration. In order for government agencies such as Homeland Security and the Minnesota Joint Analysis Center (MNJAC) to be effective, they must first keep the lines of communications open to the citizens they serve. One of the most important things to remember in any emergency preparedness plan is what to do and how to get help. Promotional products assure the information is always close at hand. Promotional products are proven to be one of the most effective media available to advertisers. Because promotional products are tangible, useful and highly targeted to the audience they reach, 58 percent of consumers retain them for one to more than four years, delivering the highest rate of reach, recall and return on investment in the advertising industry. Promotional products and the messages they carry help national, state, county and local governments to keep their citizens safe and well prepared by providing essential public service and safety information in a timely and reliable manner through the best communications medium possible – promotional products. And that makes Good Sense. For more information: ppai.org/research – Promotional Products Association International Recently I had the opportunity to respond to a lighthearted blog post by Todd Wilms, SAP’s senior director of social media marketing, on The Sad Death of the Beloved Tchotchke. Although humorous in nature, I take this type of commentary seriously. On behalf of our “beloved tchotchke”, this was my rebuttal. Allow me to present a somewhat different view of promotional products—perhaps one never considered—in support of the ‘beloved tchotchke,’ a.k.a. promotional product. An imprinted t-shirt raises more than $7,000 for a teenager battling the cancer and unites a community around hope. On a winter day in New York, imprinted blankets distributed to the homeless transform into a message of hope, caring and community. A key chain with a whistle handed out to students at a self-defense class becomes an empowering tool. A t-shirt given to children at a summer outdoor program is a memorable, functional keepsake. When the shirt is decorated with the phone number to call if the child is lost, the imprinted shirt becomes a prudent safety precaution. An imprinted t-shirt, blanket, a functional key chain—they help save lives. They create community. They stir hope and purpose. They have an undeniable, beneficial impact on our world. The items you perceive as obsolete are anything but. The truth is this form of advertising is stronger than ever. In fact, some of the salient points raised in your post are exactly why promotional products are one of the most effective, cost-efficient and longest-lasting media used by advertisers, marketers, social media aficionados and SAP. Compared to other media, promotional products are the sixth fastest-growing advertising medium, ranking eighth among traditional and digital media in annual expenditures at $18.5 billion. To savvy advertisers and marketers, promotional products are the secret weapon in the marketing arsenal because they are the only tangible advertising medium with the ability to deliver a touchable, taste-able, seeable, hearable and smell-able sensory engagement—the total brand experience. More importantly, promotional products are the only advertising for which consumers say, “Thank you!” The message is pretty clear, when used as part of an integrated advertising strategy or as a standalone medium, promotional products deliver some pretty impressive results. We couldn’t agree more with the message on the SAP merchandise site, “All products function, design or benefit are linked to how we want to be perceived as a company. This shop provides products that convey the strength of the SAP brand, that will inspire and enhance a true sense of belonging. Enjoy!” When professionally designed and produced, and used as part of strategic plan, promotional products generate interest, action, sales, referrals and loyalty—in short results. These results distinguish them as one of the most effective and arguably the longest-lasting and best-loved advertising media in the world. Recently several national media outlets reported on the U.S. Marshals Service’s Use of Appropriated Funds to Purchase Promotional Items. Below, in a letter to the media, we present the facts. With regard to POLITICO’s news story published on November 5, 2013, about the U.S. Marshals Service’s Use of Appropriated Funds to Purchase Promotional Items, please allow me to present a different view on the efficacy of promotional products. The promotional items deemed “not necessary,” according to the article, are anything but. In fact, points raised in the article are exactly why promotional products are one of the most effective, cost-efficient and longest-lasting media used by advertisers, marketers and the U.S. Marshals Service. Compared to other media, promotional products are the sixth fastest-growing advertising medium, ranking eighth among traditional and digital media in annual expenditures at $18.5 billion. The government report actually acknowledges this in its findings. Anyone, including the U.S. government that has used promotional products knows why they will use them again. Promotional products are the only tangible advertising medium with the ability to deliver a sensory-level brand engagement experience as well as an 88-percent brand name recall and retention of one and up to four years among consumers. Promotional products generate interest, action and loyalty—in short results. These results distinguish them as one of the most effective, longest-lasting and best-loved advertising media in the world. For more information: ppai.org/research. Promotional Products Association International (PPAI; ppai.org) President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, petitioned the President and said, while it might be tempting to limit the purchase of promotional products in order to yield some short-term savings, in the long term, this prohibition may unintentionally diminish the good work of Federal agencies. Time and again, promotional products have proven themselves to be the most cost-effective way to reach a targeted audience in a tangible, long-lasting and memorable manner.” In addition, the PPAI Advocacy team reached out to the White House and small-business advocates within the government. “While PPAI was not able to stop this order, we believe we were able to mitigate the overall impact further demonstrating why the industry needs grassroots participation to be effective,” says Bellantone. We need to make sure we have members of Congress watching out for us.” PPAI’s goal is to ensure that promotional products are viewed in a positive light. The Association will work diligently to achieve that goal. On behalf of the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), I write to ask that you take into account the impact on Hawaii and its citizens if you consider setting any limitations on the marketing efforts or the purchasing plans of State agencies. The promotional products industry plays an important role in the Hawaiian economy—collectively the industry provides $6.97 million annually and much needed small-business based jobs. Although promotional products play an important role in making the public and other audiences aware of important initiatives and are essential elements in successful marketing programs, all too often this industry comes under scrutiny when budgets are tight and cuts must be made. State governments, businesses, organizations and the national government are making tough decisions about where to invest resources, and the promotional products industry appreciates the difficult choices that must be made. Despite budget strain, the government and its agencies must market its programs. We maintain that when an organization needs to cut marketing dollars, the decision should be based on the effectiveness of the marketing mediums in consideration. In order for government agencies such as Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit Administration (HART) and the Honolulu Rail Authority to be effective, they must first keep the lines of communications open to the citizens they serve. One of the most important things to remember in the success of any government service program is what the benefits are and how to gain access them. Promotional products are an integral part of this process and assure the information is always close at hand. Promotional products are proven to be one of the most effective media available to advertisers. Because promotional products are tangible, useful and highly targeted to the audience they reach, 58 percent of consumers retain them for one to more than four years, delivering the highest rate of reach, recall and return on investment in the advertising industry. Promotional products and the messages they carry help national, state, county and local governments to keep their citizens informed and well prepared by providing essential public service information in a timely and reliable manner through the best communications medium possible – promotional products. Studies show that a company using a promotional product as its primary marketing piece gains an 85-percent increase in positive brand image by consumers. For more information: ppai.org/research. Research ppai.org Trade organization for suppliers and distributors in the promotional products industry.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:38:20 +0000